Sealant is often used in building work when it is necessary to close joints and gaps between masonry, tile, timber and other materials. This is particularly the case where it is desirable to make a gap or joint substantially water impermeable such as the gap between a bath and an adjacent, tiled wall. Traditionally, sealant or caulk is applied as a bead along a gap or joint using a caulking gun which usually comprises a cylindrical chamber for containing the sealant, a nozzle from which the sealant may be dispensed from the chamber and a plunger for forcing the sealant in the chamber out through the nozzle.
A problem many caulking guns is that the sealant is not always dispensed in a uniform manner and this can lead to an unsightly, irregular bead of sealant being applied that either does not entirely fill the joint or that spills over and around the joint, thereby creating mess. Caulking guns are also not very effective at urging the bead of sealant into the joint to create a neat finish which means that the user must often resort to using a finger to shape the bead and smooth it out. Not only is this procedure messy but even when using a finger, the applied sealant can still be unsightly with non-uniform edges.
It is an object of the present invention to mitigate the above difficulties.